SUNDAY - JUNE 15, 2025 "Gospel Responses” Acts 7:54-8:3

Welcome to DeSoto Hills Baptist Church.

Our Sunday morning services are weekly at 9 and 10 30 am.

You're listening to an audio recast of this past week's service.

We hope you enjoy.

God bless.

Okay, bibles this morning We'll be in the book of Acts.

We're going to end chapter 7 and begin chapter 8 this morning.

Just turn there.

You know, growing up Dad was never much of a hunter.

We didn't go hunting that much.

We went fishing some, but we were so involved in playing baseball or football Dad was a coach and so we were so involved in that that we didn't really just didn't hunt very much.

But I remember one time we went more than once, but I remember this one dove hunting excursion with Dad.

Now, we didn't go on opening day because I probably embarrassed him at how bad of a shot I was.

So we went on about the Monday after opening day and I remember we were sitting on the ground dove hunting in the field on a behind a big round bell of hay.

Some of you know what that is, some of you don't, but if you don't google it, uh, sitting behind a big round bell of hay and and I had a, a 410 pump shotgun and it was just bad.

Most of the morning if you were out in the field, it sounded something like this Boom, boom, boom, dang, boom, boom, boom, dang.

See, it was so bad that finally my dad said and listen.

Just let me admit this to you.

I know dang is not a cuss word, but I struggle saying it even here, because that morning I said it so many times that finally my dad said, grant, we got to come up with something else to say it's too much like the other word.

And in that process and processing that, here's what I've come to realize.

You know, there are a lot of things in life that don't go our way.

Sometimes it's because we're terrible, I can't shoot.

Sometimes it's just because life happens.

Trials and tribulations come.

Things happen in our lives that we can't control, that are uncontrollable.

But there is one thing that we do control.

It's our response, how we respond to things.

You know, it's been said that trials build character.

I think probably a better saying than that is trials reveal character.

Better saying than that is trials reveal character.

Trials reveal who we are and where we are.

Throughout Scripture we see people going through trials and we see their responses.

We see people in Scripture who have heartbreaking losses.

We see people in Scripture that have amazing victories, and all throughout Scripture we see people respond, sometimes in ways that reveal their trust in a Savior and sometimes in ways that don't.

As we come to Acts, chapter 7.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

Today in this passage, what we've seen in Acts, chapter 7 is Stephen has just not really defended charges that have been brought of blasphemy against him.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

He really didn't defend his position.

Instead, what he did is he declared witness about who Jesus is and what Jesus has done.

He has just proclaimed how Jesus is the Messiah that the Old Testament pointed to.

He proclaimed how Jesus is the Christ sent by God and how those who were there in the Sanhedrin, the very ones who knew the Scripture so well, who should have recognized who Jesus was, were the very ones who had Him crucified.

And Stephen has just revealed this to them.

And what we're going to see in today's passage is we're going to see four I'm going to say groups of people, but some of them are not groups, they're individuals who respond to this proclamation by Stephen and we're going to look at their responses and hopefully, today we're going to look at their responses and hopefully today we're going to see from their responses, maybe, ways that we need to respond and instead of maybe, maybe not ways that we should respond, but how we should live our lives and trust in a Savior, so that when we do respond, it is revealed.

See, our challenge is this we are going to respond.

Trials, tribulations, good times, bad times, all those things Life is going to happen to us and we respond.

What is the revelation about our faith responding?

How is it revealed?

So today we're going to look at what were the responses that we see here in this passage.

So let's read this morning from Acts, chapter 7.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

We're going to start in verse 54.

If you're able this morning, I invite you to stand with us as we give honor to the reading of God's Word.

I invite you to stand with us as we give honor to the reading of God's Word.

Acts, chapter 7, beginning in verse 54.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

Now, when they heard these things, they were enraged and they ground their teeth at Him.

But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

And he said behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.

But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.

And witnesses laid their garments at the feet of, and as they were stoning Stephen.

He called out Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

And, falling to his knees, he cried with a loud voice Lord, do not hold this sin against them.

And when he said this, he fell asleep and Saul approved of his execution and there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him, but Saul was ravaging the church and entering house.

Let's pray together, god, as we are gathered in your presence today.

We are thankful for your word presence today.

We are thankful for your word.

We are thankful so much that you have revealed yourself to us through scripture and God.

We pray now as we look into your word, as we investigate, as we study God.

We pray that you will change our lives because of your word.

God, we love you.

Move today as only you can.

Jesus, it's in your name.

We pray, amen.

You may be seated.

So again, the question that we're looking at is what were the responses?

How did people respond to Stephen's proclamation of Jesus being the Christ, the Messiah?

Well, first let's look at Stephen.

Let's look at how he responded and what we're going to see here with Stephen.

Is Stephen trusted in the Son of man?

He trusted in the Son of man.

You see it right here.

We're going to get to the Sanhedrin next.

But in verse 54, we see that they were enraged at him, they were furious with him.

But Stephen, he was not caught up in what was going on around him.

He did not get so focused on what was happening right around him.

Instead, stephen focused on God.

He looked to the heavens, he looked around and he looked through and he looked towards God.

And here's what Scripture tells us that he saw.

If you look in verse 55 and 56, it says but he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

And he said Behold, I see the heavens open and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.

Now, there's something particular about Jesus standing at the right hand of God, because most of the time in the New Testament, when we see Jesus at the right hand of the Father, we see Him sitting.

He's usually sitting at the right hand of the Father, and if you look in Hebrews, chapter 10, verses 11 through 14, we see Jesus sitting.

Hebrews 10:11–14

Here's what it says.

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemy should be made a footstool for his feet.

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

You see, in Hebrews Hebrews we see Jesus sitting.

The priest stood.

The priest, day by day stood and they were at their service offering sacrifices for the sins of the people.

And the priest had to stand.

And here's why we see them standing.

It's very symbolic.

They stood because the sacrifices that the priest offered never really covered the sins of the people.

The sacrifices that they were offering never really atoned for their sins.

It never really did what it was supposed to do.

But Jesus, when Jesus came and he died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice, and when he arose and ascended to the father, he was able to sit at the right hand of the father because the work of redemption was done, it was complete he had died, he had arisen and he had done everything we needed for salvation so he could sit.

So why here in Acts does it say twice in two verses that Jesus stood?

Now I would say that if you were Baptist you could say this has been debated.

Yeah, thanks, thanks, richard, for getting that joke.

If you were Baptist you could say it was debated.

But let's not say debated.

Let's say this has been discussed greatly, why Jesus was standing.

Some will argue that Jesus was standing at the right hand of the Father to welcome Stephen home.

It would be like imagine that you were somewhere out, maybe at a restaurant, maybe somewhere, and you go and you see somebody that was a friend that you haven't seen in years and they walk in the restaurant and you see them across the restaurant.

You're not going to sit there and say, sup, how's it going?

No, if it's somebody that you have loved, that you haven't seen in a long time, you're not going to stay seated.

You're going to stand and you're going to go to them and you're going to give them a big hug and you're going to say, hey, man, how's it going?

Haven't seen you in forever.

How you doing?

What's going on in your life?

Because you want to welcome them.

Some will contend that that's what jesus is doing here, standing at the right hand of God.

He is standing to greet Stephen To say hey brother, I love you, come on home.

You've done good, stephen, come on home.

Others will say that it really points to Stephen's declaration of seeing Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father.

Because what does Stephen say?

When Stephen sees Jesus standing?

It says I see the heavens open and he said, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of the Father.

This Son of man title that we see for Jesus, it was really the title that Jesus loved to use for himself.

It's the title that he used often for himself son of man.

That title is a messianic title.

It was a title that comes from the Old Testament, really from the prophecies of Daniel.

We see Daniel using this title son of man for the Messiah that is to come.

We find this prophecy in Daniel, chapter 7, verses 13 and 14.

Daniel 7:13

Daniel writes this and I saw in the night visions and behold the clouds of heaven and there came one like the Son of man and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

And he came to the ancient of days and was presented before him and to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, and all peoples, nations and languages should serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

See, some would say Stephen, as he declares, he sees the Son of man standing at the right hand of the Father.

He sees the Son of man before the Ancient of Days.

In the Ancient of Days, that is God.

The Father has given him power, he has given him authority, he has given him dominion over all that is taking place.

And as Stephen looks up and sees into heaven, as people are infuriated with him, as people are about to stone him to death, as he sees all of this going on, he looks up and he sees the son of man, who has dominion over it all, assuring him Stephen, it's going to be okay.

I have this.

I know it seems like the world is in chaos, I know it seems like it can't get any worse, but, stephen, I'm in control.

Trust me, trust me, depend on me.

And Stephen's response was just that he trusted in the Son of man.

How do we know?

We know it from what he said.

Look in verse 59.

And when they were stoning Stephen.

He called out Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

And, falling to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice Lord, do not hold this sin against them.

And when he said this, he fell asleep.

Listen, a response like this does not come because we wake up one morning and decide we're going to be strong.

If you wake up in the morning and you say, you know what, today I'm going to be strong, and you do that, apart from any relationship with Jesus, you are not going to make it A response like this.

Look, this response is even very similar to jesus on the cross.

You remember jesus on the cross?

On the cross, what did jesus say, lord?

He asked him to forgive them, father.

Forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Then, as he died, he cried out to the father stephen sounds very much like jesus.

That doesn't come because we decide one morning to wake up and say, hey, I'm gonna be like jesus today.

That comes when we fully trust and depend upon Jesus.

That comes when we are, as it says about Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, and we are full of the Holy Spirit only when we are completely reliant upon Jesus.

Stephen's response came as he trusted in the Son of man.

The second group that we see here is the sanhedrin.

The sanhedrin they they rebel against god with vile intent towards stephen.

See what it says right here in verse 54 says now, when they heard these things, they were enraged and ground their teeth at him.

I'm reading from the ESV today Some of you probably have a different translation If you do.

Some translations don't say enraged, it says they were cut to the quick, which is really what the word in the New Testament word means that they were cut to the quick.

See, they heard what Stephen had just said.

They heard the demands that Stephen said on them.

They heard the demands that Stephen said on them.

They heard the charges that Stephen brought against them.

Listen to him.

You see him for yourself.

Go back to verse 51.

Stephen said you, stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit, as your fathers did.

So do you?

Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?

They killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the righteous one, whom you now have betrayed and murdered you who received the law as delivered by the angels and did not keep it.

Listen, they hear these charges that Stephen makes against them and instead of responding from an attitude of dependence upon Christ, they rebel against it because they have calloused hearts.

How do we know they have calloused hearts?

Listen to what it says.

When Stephen he saw this vision from God, he looked into the heaven and he sees the son of man standing at the right hand of God and he tells them he sees that.

Look in verse 57, what they did.

It says they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.

And listen, amber tells me all the time that I need to go have my hearing checked because I don't hear things.

Tells me all the time that I need to go have my hearing checked Because I don't hear things.

It's not what's going on here.

They don't have a hearing problem, they have a heart problem.

It says they stopped their ears.

Now listen, you can take that literally, as they were going na-na-na-na-na-na-na and saying they can't hear.

I don't know that.

It's a literal thing here.

I think what he is telling us is they have become as Scripture has told us over and over again.

Think about Pharaoh in Exodus.

Remember the story of when Moses came to Pharaoh.

And he came to Pharaoh and he says hey, let my people.

God said let my people go, let us go and worship in the wilderness.

And Pharaoh said no, I'm not doing that.

Ten times, Moses comes and God plagues Israel through Moses, and Pharaoh will say, oh okay, I'm going to let them go, never mind.

And here's what Scripture tells us in the book of Exodus Ten times.

Ten times Scripture says Pharaoh hardened his heart against God.

But there's also ten times in the same story, 10 times, where it says god hardened pharaoh's heart.

Now listen, I don't understand all the implications in that, but I think it comes as jesus told the disciples in John when they came and they said Jesus, why don't people believe you?

He says seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear.

They have calloused their hearts.

Listen, I think one of the things that is happening with the Sanhedrin here is they have rejected Christ so many times, they have pushed Him away so many times.

They have refused to hear.

So many times they have refused, in humility, to come before the Father and admit their sins and admit their failures.

They had done it so many times that now their hearts had become so calloused that when they heard Stephen's accusations against them, instead of in humility coming before God.

They rushed together to stone Stephen.

Even listen, in this, this whole stoning, I mean, history is is even unclear if, if, at this moment in time, if the sanhedrin had authority to do that under the roman government.

Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't.

We don't even know if they had authority.

But even if they did, this is not a normal stoning.

This is not what a typical stoning looked like.

Listen, I'll save you the details.

It's kind of gory.

If you want to hear them, come talk to me after.

But just suffice it to say this this was not a typical stoning.

This was a lynch mob, enraged and rebelling against the spirit, so much that they, in vitriol, stoned, stephen.

Their response was not from a place of humility recognizing the work of the Holy Spirit.

Their response was the response of a calloused heart who continued to reject.

You see, stephen, you see the Sanhedrin.

Third, we see another young man that we're going to get to know quite well.

In verse 58, part part B, it says this and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

We're going to get to know Saul.

We're going to see in a few chapters that Saul continues to persecute the church from this time of Stephen.

But we're also going to see Saul on the road to Damascus, going to persecute the church and continue this work.

And we're going to see Jesus introduce himself to Saul in such a way that he changes Saul's life and Saul moves from being Saul to being Paul and carrying the gospel message to all the known world and to all the Gentiles, thank God, so that we can have salvation.

We're going to see Saul become Paul later, but that's not what's happening today.

Today, as we see Saul, he is approving of this execution.

It says it right there, in verse 1 of chapter 8.

And Saul approved of this execution.

It says it right there in verse 1 of chapter 8.

And Saul approved of his execution.

But listen, for Saul, the vitriol, the persecution of one individual wasn't enough.

It looks like from this passage that the Sanhedrin, they were willing just to stop with one.

They were willing just to stop right there with with Stephen, but not Saul.

In verse 2 it tells us that that there arose a great persecution against the church.

And we see in verse 3, we see.

But Saul was ravaging the church and he was entering house after house and he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

It was not enough for Saul to persecute one person, he had to go after everybody Listen.

And that happens.

It happens outside of the church.

We see one thing go wrong and because, honestly, the church is filled with people who are not perfect, sometimes we fall and give in to temptation, into the world judges the whole church based on one person.

But you know what it happens inside these walls as well.

Somebody hurts you and you respond with vitriol against the whole people, and that leads us even to a rejection of God, as we reject His people, unless we're going to do like Paul does later when Jesus calls him, we humbly submit to him and trust fully in the Son of man.

Finally, this morning, the fourth group that we're going to see is the church.

See it right here In verse 1.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Listen, take the apostles out of it here.

The apostles are the twelve.

So we're not talking about the twelve here, we're talking about everybody else.

We're talking about the church, the people in the church, the followers of Christ, the everyday believers like you and me.

That's who we're talking about here.

And it says that they were scattered through all the regions.

And you say but Grant, they're scattered not because they chose to be, they're scattered because there is such persecution.

They have to go, okay, okay, but see their response.

They go.

But before we just jump over that, do you remember what Acts, chapter 1, verse 8, says?

Acts 1:8

In Acts, chapter 1, verse 8, jesus is talking to not just the apostles.

Acts 1:8

He says this but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

What we have here happening in chapter 8 is the fulfillment of chapter 1.

What Jesus said was going to happen in chapter 1 is happening here in chapter 8.

And before we look over and just say, oh, it's because of persecution, let's look over and see hey, maybe this was the catalyst that the church needed to go out, because at this point they're just in jerusalem, they're all there and they're comfy recliners going to church every, every sunday, complaining about the apostles teaching, and they're coming home and they're comfortable and they're all good with it.

And God says no.

The gospel message is supposed to go to Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

It's time to go.

Listen, there are catalysts that happen in our life All the times.

Sometimes things happen Because we make bad decisions, but God can still use those decisions and use them as catalysts to get us out and to trust in the Son of man.

Sometimes, sometimes, sometimes things happen Like Saul ravaging the church to be a catalyst to get us to trust in the Son of man.

Sometimes it's just life in a sinful world.

It's a catalyst that God uses.

So we will trust in the Son of man.

What we need to see in this is the providence of God working in the lives of his people because they are trusting in the son of man.

Listen, I don't know where you are today, hey, but I look around this crowd and I know that there are some people probably that for them, life seems out of control.

It's chaos, one thing after another after another after another, and it just begins to pile up.

When I'm After, another After another, and it just begins to pile up.

What the scripture is calling on us to do Is, in the midst of those situations, trust in the son of man.

Let our response come from a deep, abiding relationship with Jesus.

And I know life gets hard.

Come see me afterwards.

Let me tell you about my last two weeks.

I know I know, but let me tell you this God loved me so much that he sent His one and only Son to take the punishment that I deserve because of my sin and offer me life.

To take the punishment that I deserve because of my sin and offer me life.

And because I have trusted in him and I know that God loves me that much, I can know that he can and will bring me through every situation that comes my way.

I trust in the Son of man.

You may be at that place where life just seems unbearable.

Trust in the Son of man.

In just a moment we're going to have an invitation and if you're at that place, maybe this morning, you need to come and you just need to kneel at these steps and, as Stephen cried out Lord, receive my spirit.

You don't have to be dying for him to say Lord, receive my spirit.

You can just be at that place where you feel like you can't go any further and you just come and say Lord, receive me.

I need you In just a moment as we sing this hymn of invitation.

If that's you, if you need to come and kneel at these steps, we invite you to come.

If you need to come and have David or I pray for you, we'll be here to receive you and pray with you and pray for you.

But maybe this morning, maybe this morning, you can't find comfort in that, because you've never trusted in Christ as your Savior, you've never actually trusted in the Son of man.

I need you to hear me this morning.

I can trust in God when I'm going through hard times because I know how much he loved me.

I know he loves me so much that he sent His Son to die for me.

I need you to hear me this morning if you've never trusted Him.

He loves you so much that he sent his son to die for you.

You were just like me.

You were lost in your sin, without a relationship with God and all along.

But God loved you so much that he sent his only son.

But God loved you so much that he sent his only son that if you believe in him, you will not perish but you will have life.

Jesus came and died for you and he arose from the grave and gives you life.

And if you've never trusted in the son of man this morning, I pray that today will be the day of salvation for you.

As we sing this hymn of invitation in just a moment, we invite you to come forward.

We would love to pray with you and pray for you.

There are counselors who will take you out and share with you how you can trust Christ.

We invite you to come.

Maybe this morning you've misunderstood the gift of the church.

Listen, I hear people say all I need is Jesus and me.

And listen, I know your relationship with Christ is a personal relationship and I'm not taking that away, but I need you to understand the church is a gift from God.

God has offered us each other to walk together.

Not that we're perfect and not that we're always going to get it right, but we can do this thing called life together and when trials come and we face temptations and when we have victories, we can depend on each other.

We can walk together.

We can be there for each other.

We can help each other grow together as we trust more and more in the Son of man.

If you don't have a church home, we invite you here to DeSoto Hills.

We would love to have you come.

Let's follow our Savior together.

Listen, we call you this morning to respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ that saves us and sustains us.

Let's pray together, god.

We love you.

God, I thank you for this holy moment, this moment where your word has been proclaimed and now we have an opportunity to respond.

God, I pray that you will give us the faith that we need To trust in you.

God, for those who are here this morning who have never trusted in the Son of man, I pray that today will be the day of salvation for them.

God, for calloused hearts, soften them.

For stopped up ears, open them.

God, move as only you can.

God, for those of us who are just at a moment where we need to cry out to you.

God, I pray that you give us the faith to respond as you're moving and working.

Give us the faith that we need to respond to you, jesus, it's in your name we pray.

Thanks for listening to this week's sermon.

If you have any questions for our pastor, feel free to reach out at desotohillscom.